The Auror Years: Part One
by completely mad
Summary: The rating is just a caution, don't be scared by it. Better summary inside.. and I am a review junkie. Help support my habit :D
1. Default Chapter

[A/N] Well, Angliikanah won't leave me alone on this one, so I guess you are all getting a brand new story from me. This has been brewing in the back of my mind for a while, but I've finally decided to give it a shot. It's going to be mainly about Harry, Ron, and Hermione post Hogwarts graduation. They become, as you may have guessed, Aurors. This story, if it goes as planned, will follow them through their training and the inevitable conflicts and adventures that pop up. There will be some new characters, of course, but I will also stay true to the original book characters. Don't be surprised if there are some cameos by some well-known characters. As far as I know, no one else has attempted something quite like this. And if they have, I didn't know about it. Everything is completely original, except for the obvious fact that I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any of the other names or places you recognize from the Harry Potter books. If I borrow a phrase or situation from another source, it will be sited at the end of the chapter. People who infringe on copyrights really irritate me. All unfamiliar characters were created and developed by me, unless otherwise specified.  
  
The Auror Years  
  
Part One  
  
One morning, late in the summer of his seventeenth year, Harry Potter found himself lying flat on his back beside his small and messy bed. Clothing was strewn about his head, but he brushed a sock off his arm unconcernedly and continued to stare out of his open window, eyes scanning the sky for any sight of his snowy white owl, Hedwig.  
It had officially been three weeks since his final day at Hogwarts. Already, the thought of how he may never again see the Great Hall glimmering in the Christmas season, or feel the chill as he stood atop the Astronomy tower, had begun to torment him. He missed Hogwarts so badly that it was like having a constant stomachache. He could still remember Dumbledore's face as he pulled him aside during his final breakfast in the Great Hall.  
"I would like to have a word with you, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger in private, please," Dumbledore had said, a familiar glint in his eye.  
Harry had immediately taken heart at hearing these words. Anything that could put the old glimmer in Dumbledore's eyes surely had to be a good thing. Since Voldemort had returned, the magical world had had precious little to celebrate.  
"Alright, Professor," Harry had replied.  
Hermione and Ron, who were still sitting at the table enjoying their breakfast, glanced over at Harry curiously. He beckoned them to follow him as Dumbledore turned on his heel and swept out the doors of the Great Hall.  
Hermione seized Ron's elbow and pulled him sharply upward, causing him to spill his goblet of pumpkin juice down his front.  
"Hermione!" he said indignantly, brushing off the sticky orange liquid. "Hang on a minute, will you?"  
"Come on, Ron!" Hermione had exclaimed, her eyes shining. "I think I know what this is about!"  
She grabbed his arm and jerked him roughly away from the table. He stumbled, but was soon following closely in her wake.  
"Will you two hurry up?" Harry asked as they rushed towards him.  
And together, they hurried out of the Great Hall towards Dumbledore's office.  
  
Minutes later they found themselves outside of the large stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office.  
"Will you please tell me why you're acting so nuts?" Ron asked Hermione, scowling.  
Hermione only grinned at him.  
"You'll see."  
  
Before there was a chance to reply, the gargoyle had stepped aside and Dumbledore had appeared on the revolving staircase.  
"Follow me," he said, smiling and turning around to head back up.  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped on the bottom stair and were slowly carried upwards, spiraling towards a pair of large oak doors. When they reached them, Dumbledore opened one and stepped aside to let them in.  
Once inside, Dumbledore seated himself behind his large desk and gestured for them to take a seat in one of the three large, plush chairs before him.  
"Now," he said, folding his long fingers together and resting his chin atop them, "I have some very good news for you three."  
  
Hermione sat forward, her eyes wide. Ron looked at her curiously, then glanced at Harry with raised eyebrows. Harry shrugged and turned his attention back to Dumbledore.  
"You three," he continued, smiling, "have certainly made yourselves out to be quite the rule breakers at this school." Harry and Ron grinned at eachother sheepishly. "However, there are some occupations that hold that particular trait in high regard." He stood from his desk, and walked to a large wooden cabinet standing beside Fawke's cage. "I am sure you are all familiar with the occupation of Auror."  
Hermione squeaked, settling a shaking hand over her mouth.  
Harry looked at Ron, who seemed completely nonplused.  
"You," Dumbledore said, reaching in one of the cabinet drawers and drawing out three long pieces of parchment, "have been asked to join the new Auror training program."  
Hermione clapped both hands over her mouth and screamed. Harry didn't trust himself to believe what he had just heard.  
"Wh-What?" he asked bewildered.  
"Should you be willing," Dumbledore said, smoothing the scrolls across his desk, "you will begin your training in a month's time." He smiled at them all. "I need hardly say how very proud I am of all of you."  
Ron was gaping at the scrolls, seemingly choking on air. Hermione suddenly jumped up and threw her arms around Dumbledore.  
"Thank you! Oh, thank you, Professor!" she sobbed unrestrainedly onto his shoulder. He smiled, patting her gently on the back.  
"You needn't thank me, Miss Granger," he said. "You three proved yourselves to be braver and more heroic than most adults," he pulled her away gently to look into her face, "when you were in your first year."  
She snorted.  
Harry felt as though a balloon were swelling in his chest.  
"So," he said, standing up, his voice rocketing to an ungodly pitch, "we're going to be Aurors?"  
  
"If you accept the offer, yes," Dumbledore said kindly. "There will be training and quite a bit of hard work involved, but I have no doubt that you will be able to perform everything they ask of you..."  
But Harry was no longer listening. He was going to be an Auror! He was going to go through the same training his parents had! And best of all, for once in his life, Hermione and Ron were coming along as equal partners.  
There was a small silence, in which Hermione seized Harry hard around the neck and pulled him into a rib cracking hug.  
"Mom's going to flip," said Ron in a small, hoarse voice. "And Percy's head will probably rocket right off his shoulders."  
Hermione and Harry laughed and Hermione pulled him roughly into a hug.  
Dumbledore cleared his throat, and the three of them looked around to see three golden quills standing, quivering atop the parchments.  
"When you are ready," he said, his eyes gleaming brighter than they had in years, "you may sign the agreement to attend your training."  
Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, both of whom smiled back, though Ron looked as though he might be sick at any moment. Together, the three of them seized the quills and, taking a deep breath, Harry scribbled his name upon the suddenly shining parchment.  
Before the ink had even dried, all three of the papers disappeared with a pop, leaving himself, Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore standing in the grand office. The silence was unbroken except for Ron's last hoarse murmur of,  
"Crikey. Us. Aurors."  
  
[A/N] Yeah, it's short. Sorry, really. There'll be more soon though. Oh yeah, and I admit it. I am a review whore. Please give me reviews. 


	2. An odd dream

[A/N] Thanks to Siblin for being my first reviewer on this story! I'm going to pause to answer your question. Is Voldemort still at large?  
  
That's my fault for not making it clear, but yes, he is. He's now been back for three years or so, and the magical world is, of course, in disarray. That fact will be elaborated on more in future chapters/stories. But yes, in answer to your question, Voldemort is at large in the magical world.  
  
That was three weeks ago. According to what Dumbledore had said, Harry was due to start his training in roughly a week's time, but he had heard nothing of it. He, Ron, and Hermione had exchanged so many letters in the past three weeks that Hedwig had even started to become irritated with him. Errol was hardly able to make the journey from Ron to Harry anymore, and had to be nursed back to health every time before he could fly back. Hermione, who was using the owl post, didn't have the same problem, though postage was starting to add up to quite a bundle. None of them had had any word on the new Auror situation.  
Now, Harry was lying on his floor, watching the sky for a sign of Hedwig's return. Feeling that he lacked any other option, Harry had sent an owl off to Dumbledore, questioning as to what he was supposed to be doing. Now he waited for the reply.  
The late afternoon sun streaming in through the curtains was making Harry feel pleasantly warm and drowsy. A slight breeze ruffled the curtain. Harry felt his eyes start to droop.  
  
* * *  
  
He was standing in a forest, tall, dark trees were swaying over him eerily. Soft music was playing in the background, but Harry didn't have a very clear idea of what the song was. It sounded vaguely familiar, but the volume was too soft for it to be recognizable.  
Something was moving beside him. He felt it pass by his leg, ruffling the hem of his cloak. Hang on a minute. Cloak? Harry looked down quickly, and saw with a sudden jolt of surprise that he was wearing his old school robes.  
His breath quickening, Harry's fogged mind realized that he was standing in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.  
Before a sense of panic had time to set in, Harry's mind went blissfully blank again. He could hear the music once more. Where was it coming from? He needed to find it. It sounded beautiful.  
Without knowing where he was going, Harry set off through the trees in what he supposed was the direction of the music.  
He fought his was through several thickets and sharp brambles. Eventually, however, he came to a large clearing. Moonlight flooded the ground, turning the green grass a molten shade of silver.  
Harry looked upward to where the moon sat in the heavens. The music was louder now than ever before. It seemed to be dripping from the moon itself.  
As he watched, the moon began to expand. As suddenly as though someone had flipped a switch, the music disappeared and Harry's ears were filled with a terrible, deafening, ear-shattering scream.  
Screaming in agony, Harry dropped to his knees, clutching his head. Above him the moon expanded like a supernova.  
Suddenly, Harry tore his eyes open and looked up. The moon burst in an explosion of light, and Harry jerked awake, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for air.  
  
**  
  
"No!" he screamed suddenly, feeling lightheaded as air rushed back into his lungs.  
His eyes open, he saw now that he was still on his bedroom floor, shaking, his body rattling with a pain such as he had not felt since he had been under the Cruciatus Curse.  
There was a sudden stomping downstairs.  
"What the bloody hell are you shouting about, boy?" Uncle Vernon roared up the stairs.  
"Nothing," Harry called back. "I just...had a nightmare, that's all," he trailed off to a whisper.  
"Well 'nothing' better not involve bloody shouting from now on, understand me?" Vernon yelled.  
Choosing not to answer, Harry sat up slowly, sliding his glasses off the sweaty bridge of his nose.  
As he wiped his face with his shirt, Harry couldn't help but wonder what had caused him to react so violently to a mere dream. He hadn't had one of these sort of episodes since Mr. Weasley was attacked at the Ministry of Magic during his fifth year.  
'But no one was attacked this time,' he told himself firmly. 'Everyone is fine.'  
And yet, Harry had definite trouble convincing himself of that.  
  
[A/N] I know! Go on and beat me! I've given you another short chapter when I promised not to. I love you all, though, honestly. And I solemnly vow that the next chapter will be bsob long that I will be wishing you all Happy New Year again before you finish it! [And incidentally, Happy New Year to everyone!] Well, maybe it won't be that long, but still, it'll be more than two pages! Sorry and I love you all! Forgive me! 


End file.
